Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Central Bhutan
Preferred
Overview
Short Description
Largely untouched by the modern world, Bhutan is an enigmatic mountain kingdom of green valleys crowned with dzongs (fortresses) and chortens (shrines). As the country operates a strict entry policy, it’s essential that your trip is planned thoroughly. Our specialists will use their extensive knowledge to create a carefully arranged itinerary that’s tailored to your interests. We have also worked hard to find the best drivers and guides (the government requires all visitors are accompanied), who can enhance your holiday to Bhutan.
A journey through Bhutan will take you through rich forests, over high mountain passes and to some of the most biologically diverse national parks in the world. The cliff-hugging Tiger’s Nest is one of many white-walled monasteries that overlook yawning valleys, which burst into bloom with wildflowers in spring. And, you’ll find the Bhutanese welcoming in showing you their deeply Buddhist and traditional way of life, where Gross National Happiness is more important than gross domestic product.
Itinerary
Day 1 : International outbound flight
Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Kathmandu.
Day 2 : Kathmandu
On arrival into Kathmandu you'll be transferred to your hotel. Enjoy an afternoon of sightseeing in Nepal's diverse and vibrant capital city. Kathmandu has a rich cultural and artistic heritage making it a fantastic place to explore. Highlights include the Hindu temple Pashupatinath and the Buddhist site of Boudhanath, Nepal's largest stupa.
Day 3 : Thimphu
This morning you'll continue your journey onto the beautiful Kingdom of Bhutan with a flight to Paro. On arrival you'll be driven to Thimpu via Simtokha Dzong, an atmospheric Buddhist monastery.
Day 4 : Thimphu
Today is your first full day in the capital of Bhutan, enjoy exploring the sights of this charming city. It is a great place to walk around and there are plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants. In the evening you may like to visit a local nunnery to experience evening prayer, a truly fascinating experience.
Day 5 : Punakha
This morning you will drive to the beautiful Punaka valley. The Dochu La (pass) at 3140m offers great views of the mountains on clear days.This afternoon visit Punakha Dzong, one of the Bhutan's most stunning dzong's, as well as Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of the divine mad monk.
Day 6 : Punakha
Enjoy a day walk that includes the scenic Khamsum Yul-le Namgyel Chorten. The Chorten lies at the other end of the valley to Punakha Dzong and the walk along the river to this point is lovely. You can take the walk at your own pace, stopping to admire the scenery as often as you like.
Day 7 : Phobjikha
At your leisure you will be driven to Gangtey Valley.If visiting over the winter months you will witness the fascinating Black-necked crane migration.
Day 8 : Phobjikha
Today you will explore the Gangtey Valley with your guide. Highlights include walking the Tenkhor Yuetshe Sum Trail and visiting the blacknecked crane research centre.
Day 9 : Jakar, Bumthang Valley
Today you will start the journey to Bumthang. To break up the drive, Trongsa is a nice stop off point for some lunch and to visit the impressive Trongsa Dzong, the largest Dzong fortress in Bhutan.
Day 10 : Jakar, Bumthang Valley
Today you will have a walking tour of some of the temples in the Jakar area including the picturesque Thangbi Mani Lhkahang which is located in a quiet corner of the valley framed by beautiful mountains. There will also be the chance to visit Jakar Dzong, which is the perfect vantage point for views across Jakar.
Day 11 : Paro
Today you will be taken to the local airport in time for your short flight back to Paro.Rest of the day at your leisure.
Day 12 : Paro
Today the highlight of many trips to Bhutan, you will make the climb up to Tiger`s Nest Monastery, perched on the edge of the mountain. It is a relatively steep climb, but it can be taken at your own pace and enjoy the stunning views as you climb.This evening you may like to have a traditional Bhutanese hot stone bath, the best way to relieve aching muscles after your hike up to Tiger's Nest Monastery.
Day 13 : Paro
Spend the day exploring the Paro Valley and the town today, visiting Drukgyel Dzong and the National Museum.
Day 14 : Kathmandu
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Kathmandu. On arrival , you will be met by your driver and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.
Day 15 : International return flight
Return international flight to the UK. Your return flight will arrive the same day.
Availability
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3,373 Audley Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings
Central Bhutan
Company Reviews
Sarah was so great and really…
Thank you Sarah...what a star! You made this process easy from beginning to end :)
So much more than a travel agent
The second and more recent time was on a trip to Vietnam organised by their Indochina expert Ross Cleary.
We were on the final day of a 19 day trip to Vietnam and Cambodia which given the quality the hotels and excursions arranged by Ross was shaping up to be the best holiday we had ever taken.
Unfortunately my wife developed breathing difficulties and I had to take her to hospital. The hospital decided to admit her and we were left very frightened and wondering what to do about our flights which were due to leave in 4 hours time. There is a 7 hour time difference between U.K. and Vietnam so it was the middle of the night in the U.K. However, one phone call to the Audley duty manager had me connected to him via "whatsapp" so that he could update me real time on the situation without the £7 per minute phone charges. The flights were postponed, I was put up in the closest hotel to the hospital and Audley took care of all the minutiae so that I could concentrate on my wife who was diagnosed with pneumonia.
Upon being discharged my wife was told she could not travel immediately. We spent a total of 8 days in a hotel arranged by Audleys local partners Vidotours. A fantastic hotel at a very reasonable price. The hotel bill was covered until I got home and the flights were re-instated for a tiny admin fee.
We don't always use a travel company to book our holidays, but visiting out of the way places where local knowledge and support can be invaluable I would thoroughly recommend Audley.
These guys are so much more than a travel agent.
No prizes for guessing that I will be using them on my next big excursion. Thank you. Pete
Audley helped us have the best trip of…
Could not have been better
The same couple recommended their travel agent – Audley travel - so that is where we went. I was suspicious as to whether they would add any value as I can book my own flights and negotiate deals with hotels but we were extremely pleased with the service from Isabelle – their Caribbean specialist. More on this later.
We worked with her to optimise the price for the flights. Although I have over 500k miles still with BA, reward flights were out of the question but we managed to get Virgin Upper for £5,500 (compared to BA quote of around £10k for Club which is just not quite as good)
Audley managed all of the booking process at our selected hotels so we had a single contact point. The arrangements were faultless and we were kept informed at all times. The itinerary was well presented and we had both an electronic version and a high-quality folder with all the paperwork and recommendations for trips and restaurants as well as quality luggage tags. It all makes you feel good.
On landing in Antigua we were met at the bottom of the jetway by a representative of Audley (St James travel) who took us straight to the front of the queue at immigration (we never knew such service existed). Having passed through that, our bags were just coming round the carousel so the rep took them off, led us into the outside world where we had to wait about 5 minutes for our private transfer (only because we were early!). We were in the car less than 20 minutes from touching down. Last time I achieved that was on a hand baggage only trip with Ryanair to Salzburg. All thanks to Audley.
The inter hotel transfer and return transfer to the airport were faultless as was the post holiday catch up call.
Were already working with Audley on next years break using Isabelles extensive knowledge of the hotels and options
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Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal ground transport
Group Size
Intimate Group - 12 max
Trip ID#:
audley-travel-44092
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